


dreamin' takes my mind away (bandori shorts)

by silversilky



Category: BanG Dream! (Anime), BanG Dream! Girl's Band Party! (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, Shorts, rated T for relatively mild language
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-07
Updated: 2019-05-31
Packaged: 2019-10-24 01:10:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 13,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17694722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silversilky/pseuds/silversilky
Summary: a collection of bang dream one-shots. ship & prompt suggestions are very welcome!most recent: sayotsugu, trying to beat the heat





	1. next to me (TaeRimi)

Rimi felt a pang of guilt as she passed the shelf where her collection of plushes sat.

  
They were a motley crew indeed. Some adorable animals, a few beloved but threadbare friends from her past, and the occasional stuffed Jason or Sadako to mix things up a bit. Rimi loved them all dearly. But today, all their beady eyes were united in making her feel like a traitor.

  
Normally, each of them would be cuddled with at night one by one at exactly even intervals, to keep it all fair. When she was young, she had even made up a whole schedule system for it. She took it very seriously even now, but for the last few weeks, she'd broken with that sacred tradition and stayed with a specific plush every single night.

  
And she knew why that was, even if she hadn't been able to put the feeling into words quite yet.

  
Rimi climbed into bed, curled up in a ball and pulled her lop-eared plush rabbit close to her chest. If she held it right here, she could feel her own heartbeat through it. It felt almost like...

  
_O-Tae..._

  
She slowly stroked the rabbit's ears, and let the feeling settle over her body like a warm blanket. _O-Tae, I wish you were here with me._

 

* * *

 

The first time they shared a bed for real, Tae accidentally elbowed her in the face, but all things considered it was still very nice.


	2. open water (KasuRan)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ship suggested by Ijal! i've never really thought about these two but they're actually very cute

The first time Ran had found her like this, she had said something that had echoed in Kasumi’s head ever since. _"I guess having a heart so big must hurt sometimes, huh?"_

  
Those words floated back up into focus now, as Kasumi sat curled into a tight ball. Her mind was an overworked mess. She couldn't fully pinpoint what had caused it, this time- cancelled plans, a song idea going nowhere, a lingering look at something on the news? Maybe it was all of that, maybe it was none of it and Kasumi was just _supposed_ to be this way, maybe something about her was just _wrong-_

  
Hands on her forearms, carefully, tentatively holding her in place. Her girlfriend was so gentle with her. So considerate, and always so nervous as well, as if she saw Kasumi as lightning in a bottle that she could shatter at any time. They both knew that wasn't true, though, she might have her head entirely in the clouds but she was tougher than she looked. Usually.

  
Ran's gentle hands pulled her close, wrapping around her to hold her more easily, and she started to hum a familiar tune. It only took Kasumi a moment to recogize it as _Happy Happy Party,_ and as she did, the rhythm took hold of her and became a lifeline.

  
As it pulled her back up out of the murky water she had sunken into, back to the surface and into her girlfriend's arms, Kasumi thought about what Ran had said on that day again. _"I guess having a heart so big must hurt sometimes, huh?"_

  
But, as it occurred to her every time she thought back on it, that didn't make any sense. Because Ran had a bigger heart than anyone.


	3. top of the food chain (MocaTsugu)

Something quiet and jazzy was playing in the background, and crimson-tinted sunlight streamed through the window, setting a warm, casual mood. As she slowly lowered her mug to the counter, Moca allowed the first thing on her mind to escape her lips. "Ahhhh... Hazawa Coffee really is the best." Tsugumi gave her a doubtful look from her place at the cafe's front desk, and motioned to the door.

  
"Moca, you know Yamabuki Bakery is down the street, right?"

  
"Tsuguuuuu! How could you doubt my allegiance to your family's place?" Moca put a hand to her chest, feigning outrage. "It's true that Yamabuki Bakery has their chocolate cornets, and their melon bread slices, their unforgettable sponge cake, their truly unparalleled donuts, and-"

  
"Moca, you're not really helping your case here." Tsugumi stood up straight and looked all around the cafe, as if some customers could have materialized out of thin air. They were still alone, but Moca didn't mind the sight of the other girl working hard, even when she didn't have to.

  
"Hey. You gotta let me finish." Moca waited for Tsugumi's gaze to return to her, and continued. "The Yamabukis are great and all, but there's a super tasty treat that they don't have on their menu. And it's just _soooo_ good that I've always gotta come over here for it instead." Tsugumi clearly had no idea what Moca was implying, and she could practically see her going over Hazawa Coffee's full menu in her head in an attempt to find this mysterious item. Ahh, well, in that case, she'd have to show Tsugu what she was talking about.

  
She slid off her seat, moving around to the other side of the desk in one lazy motion. "The kind of bread I'm talking about, it's my number one favorite out of all the breads in the whole wide world." Moca reached over slowly and tucked a strand of Tsugumi's hair behind her ear, looking into the other girl's wide eyes. "It's called... the Hazawa Loaf~."

  
Tsugumi stood silent for a long moment, then her face crumpled and she leaned into Moca's hand as she began to giggle uncontrollably. "Moca, am I really a _loaf?_ "

  
Moca sighed deeply. "Your adorable little Moca was tryyyying to be romantic, yknow." She leaned in to kiss her girlfriend on the cheek, and whispered into her ear. "And you're _my_ loaf~."


	4. infinite rise (AyaMaya)

She says she's fluffy and pink, but I don't see it.

  
And I see her better than anyone else, from my seat at the very back of the stage. To me, when she's standing up there putting everything she has on the line for her dream, she looks like flames bursting over the horizon, coating the sky and devouring the land. She is unstoppable and immeasurable. She is the end of the world.

  
When she holds me, I feel her fire take hold of me as well with an unrelenting grip, flickering, burning up my body and soul from the inside out and leaving nothing but ashes. I don't fear that fate, I welcome it with open arms, because I know from the scorched earth new life will grow. And when she whispers in that voice, a voice heard time and time again by so many others but never like this, never so _close_ -

  
_"Maya..."_

  
I hear her say the name I chose for myself and I feel that I am warm, that I am loved, that I can be an idol, I can be a girl, I can be any kind of girl I want and her fire will still burn white-hot for me all the same. I feel that even if the world were to end at this very moment, we would build a new one together. I can see that world in my mind even now, and it's beautiful.

  
Though, considering that it'd be a world created by her, it would probably be pretty fluffy and pink.


	5. beauty and the beast (KaoChisa)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ship requested by jellyfishkanon!

The date was wonderful, really. Knowing she would have been to all the top-rated places in the area already, Kaoru had found a charming hole in the wall restaurant for them to dine at, and most of the night had been happy.

  
Until the beast came back.

  
"My lovely Juliet... truly, every moment spent with you is a glittering jewel upon the necklace of my life. You bring joy to my every waking hour." Kaoru swept her arms in an unclear arc, expressing some sort of vague emotion, apparently. "Ahh... How fleeting, our time spent together on this transient earth! If only we were to find each other in our next lives, and the next after that... Only then would I be satisfied."

  
Chisato had long since come to terms with two facts. One: the love of her life was in possession of only a single brain cell. And two: said brain cell was wearing a little crown. But they'd made it through most of the date without the prince persona coming out! They were already walking home together, this was quite literally the home stretch. Chisato would not let their date get derailed. She had to shut Kaoru up.

  
"Kao-chan?" she says, sickeningly sweetly, like a knife coated in honey. "I don't understand what you're talking about. Can't we just stay in this life for now?"

  
Kaoru stumbles a bit at the nickname. A stake driven through the heart of the beast- or it should have been, at least. Was her weapon getting dull? "My princess, you wound me... I speak of our endless futures together! Open your eyes, and see how brightly they glitter in the darkness of the unknown. We are true soulmates, destined to be together. Ahh, how flee-" As she starts to launch into another line, Chisato realizes there's an easier way to shut her up. She reaches up, grabs her by the collar, and pulls her down off her pedestal.

  
Kaoru's lips are even softer than she remembers.

  
When they break away, the other girl is blushing and stammering, and the beast lies slain. "C-Chii-chan, we're in public... What if somebody sees us...?"

  
"Let them see how _brightly_ we _glitter in the darkness of the unknown,_ " Chisato replies, and pulls her down for another kiss.


	6. beginner's luck (SayoTsugu)

Sayo has spent plenty of time thinking about their first kiss. She's young and gay and in love, of course she's thought about it, even if she was content to let their relationship progress at a slower pace. Every time she's imagined it, it's played out the same way: Sayo takes the lead, and Tsugumi eagerly melts into her arms. It's perfect.

  
"Sayo?"

  
That's what you'd _think_ it would be like, right? Tsugumi's like some kind of cute little animal. She's so small, so sweet and soft, and Sayo's just big and rough around the edges. It's difficult to imagine her in any role other than the one initiating things.

  
Tsugumi lowers herself to speak in a low voice directly into Sayo's ear, breath tickling her neck and sending bright sparks up and down her spine. "Is this okay?"

  
Sayo lies practically pinned in place underneath the other girl, a furious blush staining her face as she attempts to string words together into a response. How'd things even come to this, anyway? They had been peacefully cuddling together in her bed like normal only minutes ago. What in the world had possessed her lovely girlfriend?

  
She finally forces out a reply, in a raspy, halting voice. "Y-Yes... It's all right..."

  
"Then..." Tsugumi takes gentle hold of her collar with one hand and reaches around to hold the back of her head with the other, fingers searching for purchase as they mix with her long hair. She stares into Sayo's wide eyes, wearing the most determined expression the other girl has ever seen. "I'm gonna take good care of you, Sayo!"

  
Sayo's pretty sure she just blacks out after that.


	7. life is a highway (MocaLisa)

"Yuuuuukinaaa," Lisa whines, the sound of her voice slicing through Yukina's paranoid haze. She pats her shoulder, giving her a concerned look. "Are you doing all right? You seem kinda sweaty..."

  
"I... Yes, I'm fine."

  
The two of them were wandering through the mall together, a best friend's day out suggested by Lisa since they hadn't been able to spend as much time together recently. And Yukina was enjoying it quite a bit. Lisa had brought her to a cat cafe that Yukina had pretended she hadn't already visited by herself six times previously, and then they had spent some time at clothing and accessory stores. It was nice, spending time with Lisa. She always managed to coax Yukina out of her shell.

  
The problem had reared its silver-haired head when Yukina had started spotting Lisa's girlfriend everywhere.

  
Turn the corner, Moca's ordering a jumbo cookie three shops down. Walk upstairs, Moca's standing in a shop window as if she were a horrifyingly realistic mannequin. Move to the main courtyard, Moca's sitting inside a display car making muffled 'vroom vroom!' noises. And Lisa didn't seem to notice her at all. She'd mentioned it the first time, but her only response had been "Aw, c'mon, you know she's got work today... She wouldn't bother us on our day out!" She had put a finger to her chin, thinking about it. "No, wait, she totally would. But she's working, I promise!"

  
At this point, Yukina truly wasn't sure if she was simply hallucinating the gremlin girl everywhere.

  
She tugged on Lisa's sleeve to let her know she wanted to stop for a minute, and the two of them sat down on a nearby bench. Yukina sighed, and allowed herself time to rest and think about the situation. Maybe she really was just seeing things... Was she ruining her day out with Lisa because of some subconscious fear or jealousy she felt about her friend's relationship? If that was the case, what kind of friend would she be if she let something like that spoil their time together? Yukina made up her mind to stop thinking so much about Moca, and to make sure Lisa had a good time for the rest of their outing.

  
And as she decided that, she looked up and froze utterly still. There, halfway down the main row of the mall, was Moca, peering around a pillar. As Yukina watched, Moca mouthed something while staring straight at her, eyes gleaming with petty amusement.

  
_"I kissed your best friend, shitlips!"_

  
"Hey, Yukina, do you wanna go grab a bite to eat? ...Yukina? Yukina?!"


	8. communication (SayoLisa)

Dear Lisa,

  
If you are reading this letter, I suppose it must mean that I have come to terms with the fact that it is written, and that the words it contains are the honest truth.

  
I have admired you for quite some time. Your loyalty to your friends and to the band, your openness about your feelings, and your willingness to help others no matter the cost to yourself... Lisa, you are an incredible existence, and to me your light has shone brighter by the day ever since I first met you.

  
Over time, I have begun to develop romantic feelings for you. I know that they are most likely not reciprocated, but they have started to overwhelm my heart to the point that I feel I must say something or I may burst from the sheer force of them. If I am right and you do not feel the same way for me, a response will not be necessary, and I promise that I will not allow these feelings to get in the way of Roselia or our burgeoning friendship. You, and the band, mean far too much to me for that.

  
However, in the event that you do feel the same, I would be more than willing to put my heart and soul into any potential relationship. You deserve nothing but the best, and I would be happy to do whatever it takes to be that for you.

  
Thank you for listening to these, my awkward and blunted feelings. And thank you again, for indirectly helping me realize that I am even capable of feelings such as these.

  
My regards, and I suppose if you will have it, my love-

  
_Sayo Hikawa_

 

* * *

 

 **♥Lisa♥:** SAYO YOU DUMBASS I'VE BEEN FLIRTING WITH YOU FOR SIX MONTHS


	9. somebody to love (MayaEve)

Eve had so many different faces. Spending so much time with her had made Maya something of a connoisseur when it came to them, and each and every of them only made her more fond of the other girl.

  
It wasn't weird to make an itemized list of your girlfriend's moods, right?

  
1: Casual Eve. A classic, and the first one she'd ever seen. Maya thought Eve was at her cutest during these times, when there was no pressure to present herself as anything other than a kind, funny, and quirky girl. She had fallen for this Eve even before getting to know the rest.

  
2: Model Eve. This one was more rare, and only came out when she was posing for photographs, but it made Maya's heart race every time she saw it. She oozed confidence and competence, shifting into any expression quickly without a single flaw or misstep. You could almost forget the sweet girl underneath, and after seeing this side of her Maya felt she understood Kaoru's fans a little better.

  
3: Idol Eve. This face felt as if it were a sort of mix between the previous two - like her normal, smiling self, but with an extra dash of showmanship and control. Watching her glow as her slender fingers flew back and forth over the keyboard put Maya almost in a trance.

  
4: Bushido Eve. Bushido! Hell yeah! Maya never failed to sport a goofy grin every time she saw her girlfriend putting her all into Kendo or getting deeply invested in a period piece. She'd attempted to lean some the basics of Kendo as well to be a sparring partner for Eve, but didn't have much talent for it. Eve hadn't been disappointed, though, and she had said brightly that Maya could be her princess to protect. It had taken an hour for the blush to go away.

  
5: Part-Timer Eve. Maya hadn't gotten more than a glimpse of it, and when she was in the area she always tried to stop by Hazawa Coffee to see Eve at her job. The problem was that when Eve spotted her, she immediately went from Part-Timer Eve to Casual Eve and ran to greet her with a hug. Which was great, of course, Maya loved her hugs, but she was curious what Eve looked like when she was interacting with customers. What sort of face did she show to everyone else?

  
"Maya!"

  
Maya jerked upright, crashing back to Earth and realizing how far she'd drifted into a galaxy of Finnish girls with pretty smiles. "Ah, Eve! You're early, I di-"

  
Before she could finish, the taller girl had practically tackled her, sending them both sprawling out over the couch. A strong arm wrapped around her tight. "Maaaaya, don't keep me waiting," Eve crooned quietly as she looked at Maya with warm eyes. She tapped her lips with one finger.

  
Her own face burning up, Maya obliged and crossed the distance between them as Eve hugged her tight, kissing her girlfriend softly and feeling Eve's lips twitch as she tried and failed to not smile. Maya pulled back after a minute and reached up to cup her cheeks, white hair falling around her hands. Eve wasn't trying to hide her smile at all anymore, and she was glowing with happiness. A white-hot star fallen from the sky into Maya’s arms.

  
This was Maya's favorite, a face just for her.


	10. the stage was set for war (YukiRan)

"Mitake-san, I didn't expect to see you here."

  
Shit. "Hey, Minato-san."

  
Ran fumbled with the CD in her hand, doing her best to hide it or at least sort of... tilt it or something, to make it harder to see the cover. Evidently she hadn't done a good enough job, judging by the small smile that appeared on Yukina's face.

  
"Safe and Sound? I see you have quite good taste."

  
Searching for an excuse as to why she was clutching Roselia's latest single, Ran replied, "I promised Tomoe I'd pick up a copy for her. She wants to support her Ako sister." A pause. "Her sister, Ako." She held the CD a bit tighter. As she stared down the other girl defiantly, she caught a glimpse of another CD in Yukina's hand, barely visible as it was held behind a fold of her skirt, but unmistakable. Ran's eyes widened, and she felt a Moca-style grin of victory cut across her face.

  
"Y.O.L.O!!!!!, Minato-san? I've gotta say, I'm a little jealous. After all, you're buying the better single between the two of us."

  
"This is for Lisa. She likes COMIC PANIC!!!," Yukina shot back, but Ran could see a hint of a blush beginning to spread, and she really couldn't help herself from doubling down.

  
"You're buying it because you like our music, bitch. Be a bit more honest."

  
"And you? I know that's not for Tomoe because Ako brought her an early copy. Stop being such a hypocrite, and give in to Roselia's appeal already."

  
"You have about as much appeal as a flaming sack of dog shit."

  
"What a foul mouth, no wonder your vocals have been suffering as of late."

  
"Fuck you."

  
"Fight me."

  
"Gladly. Give me the time and place."

  
Yukina seemed to remember something. "That reminds me, are we still on for Saturday? I haven't yet made the reservations, I wanted to make sure you wouldn't mind if it were a double date with Sayo and Tsugumi. It appears they were planning something on the same day."

  
"Oh. Yes, that sounds lovely."

  
"Excuse me, are either of you ready to check out?" came a feeble call from the register. Ran realized there was a line beginning to form behind them, and moved to allow Yukina to go first. "Go ahead, Minato-san."

  
As she passed, Yukina leaned over and gave her a light kiss on the cheek. "I'll see you on Saturday."

  
Ran held the CD a bit tighter as Yukina left, gently rubbing her thumb over the cover as a lyric played itself in her mind.

  
_The view of people being connected with each other, how beautiful it is... Gently, happiness from the bottom of my heart blooms._

  
"Bitch," she mumbled.


	11. we all feel the same (KasuYukiRan)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ship & prompt (insecurities) requested by himamocas!

_Will I be able to say it?_

  
Ran's worry. She had never been good at expressing her feelings. It scared her into silence, the idea of baring her heart to another person. But if there was ever a time for her to suck it up and take the leap, it was now.

  
If this thing they had was going to work, she had to trust them. They'd be gentle with her heart, Ran knew it, but even so... in the moment, when they were all alone, would she be able to pull the words from her throat? _If I can't, what will that say about me?_

 

_Is it all right for me to say it?_

  
Yukina's worry. She had a reputation as someone entirely devoted to music, would it ring insincere if she claimed she was just as devoted to the two of them? Would they believe her? And even if they did, was it truly okay for her to voice her feelings?

  
Saying something with so much weight to it, with such a promise behind it, all the while knowing that with her brand of single-mindedness and her reckless drive she may hurt them in the future. _How selfish,_ she thought.

 

 

_Will they mind if I say it?_

  
Kasumi's worry. Every word she'd been called in the past lined up to parade through her head: overenthusiastic, overbearing, annoying, irritating, exhausting, weird. She was too much, too big, too loud, too full of emotion for anybody to want to deal with.

  
And it hadn't bothered her before! Well, most of the time. But now that she'd found the others... _I don't wanna mess this up_ , she thought. _What if I go too fast? What if I'm too much for them, too?_

 

 

For all of that worrying, it didn't seem to matter much now. Ran's bed was cramped and messy, but it was enough for the three of them, especially with Kasumi more or less sprawled out over Ran and Yukina like a blanket. She held each of their hands tightly as she grinned and stretched out even further, and Yukina reached over to take Ran's hand. A connected circuit, the circle of love was complete.

  
"I love you both," Ran said in a clear, warm voice.

  
Yukina felt her face soften, and replied, "I love you both as well."

  
"I..."

  
Ran and Yukina looked to Kasumi, and were shocked to see tears gathering at the edges of her eyes. "I... I lo-" she said before her throat closed up, and she pulled the others into a tight embrace.

  
It'd be an hour or so until Kasumi could say it out loud without falling apart, but Ran and Yukina both felt it was more than worth the wait.


	12. more like you (RanLisa)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ship requested by Wake!

Ran’s hand was so warm, Lisa couldn't help herself from giving it a squeeze. Her fingers were callused and rough at first contact, but felt so soft as you kept holding them, just like the girl herself... Ahh, this was heaven.

  
"Er... Lisa?"

  
"Ah, sorry!" Lisa shook her head, looking up from the floor and flashing Ran an apologetic smile. "What color did you want again for your nails? I've got pretty much anything you could want here."

  
"Red," Ran replied matter-of-factly, and Lisa giggled at how predictable her girlfriend was. Red nails would look cute with the streak in her hair, they were what Lisa would have recommended anyway. She couldn't wait to see the finished product.

  
"I should have known. Red's your favorite color, right?"

  
"Second favorite."

  
What? Lisa felt a bit of confusion show through on her face. If not red, the color Ran surrounded herself with at every opportunity, then what was her favorite color?

  
Ran turned away, as if noticing something extremely interesting on the wall of Lisa's room. "I want most of them red but... this one." She tapped her ring finger with her free hand. "...Orange."

  
Lisa felt her heart explode.

 

* * *

 

"Red, huh?"

  
Lisa hurriedly closed the door to the practice room behind her, and turned back to Yukina. "Er, yeah, heheh..." She wasn't planning on showing it off, exactly, but now she held out her hand so the other girl could see the scarlet nail paint on her ring finger. "Me and Ran had some free time earlier, so she let me do her nails and stuff, and then I got a little carried away..."

  
"That wasn't what I was talking about." Yukina pulled a small mirror out of her bag, and held it up so Lisa could see the red lipstick stain on her jaw.

  
"Fuck."

  
A smile ghosted over Yukina's face. "Swearing during practice? Take care that Mitake-san doesn't rub off on you too much, Lisa."


	13. describing in plain terms (YukiAya)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ship requested by asakuraa1!

" _I'm alright, because the warmth on my back is from you protecting me._ Repeat."

  
How had Aya ended up here, alone with Yukina Minato in Roselia's practice room?

  
"I'm alright, because the warmth on my back is from you protecting me."

  
Rhetorical question. She'd actually asked the other girl directly after a group event at Galaxy: "Hey, I like your voice. Mind giving me some private lessons?"

  
"Good. Now, _with nobility and righteousness, and an unwavering resolve._ Repeat."

  
She'd felt herself die inside as she said the line, but at some point the battle between her self-respect and her big dumb puppy crush on the little goth girl with the voice that made her shiver had reached such a breaking point that she'd become willing to use pickup lines supplied by Hina. Hina, of all people. What on earth had happened to her?

  
"With nobility and righteousness, and an unwavering resolve."

  
Caught up in the embarrassment, the last thing she had ever expected was for Yukina to say yes.

  
"That's good. Now, _those feelings that you can’t give up won’t lose._ Repeat."

  
_What am I supposed to do now, Hina?!_ Even just being in this room, where Yukina spent so much of her time and worked so hard pursuing her goals, was enough to jump-start Aya's fragile heart. Let alone being here all alone with her crush. And that's without even trying to process that she was singing for her-

  
"Those feelings that you can’t give up won’t... lose..."

  
Aya's voice trailed off at the end as she noticed that Yukina had shifted closer. The other girl seemed to notice her reaction right away, sending a rush of blood to Aya's cheeks.

  
"Louder."

  
"Those feelings that you can’t give up won’t lose!" Aya sang in response, desperately hoping Yukina wouldn't notice the way her hands were shaking at her sides.

  
"Louder."

  
"I... Yukina, that's as loud as I can really go right now..."

  
Before Aya could blink, Yukina was even closer. So close. How'd she moved like that in only a second? How fast was she? Just as Aya's brain was beginning to do calculations of speed and velocity in order to not fall apart, Yukina's whispered voice hit her from only a breath's distance away from her ear.

  
" _Louder. You're my everything_."

  
"Y-Yukina...?!"

  
The other girl leaned back and responded with an an unreadable look. "That's your next lyric. Repeat."

  
"Louder," Aya sang in a wavering voice, "You're my everything."

  
Yukina smiled. "You said you like my voice, correct?"

  
"Y-yeah..."

  
"Well..." Aya only felt a small hand slip into hers before Yukina was leaning forward again, that impenetrable gaze growing ever larger as it swallowed up her horizon in shades of yellow and gold, twin suns in the sky as Yukina whispered to her once more.

  
" _I like your voice best when you're singing my song._ "

 

* * *

 

 **Yukina Minato:** Lisa. Maruyama is unresponsive.

 **Yukina Minato:** Is this normal.

 **♥Lisa♥:** OMFG YUKINA DID WE MAKE U TOO MUCH OF A CHAD

 **♥Lisa♥:** hold on i gotta msg hina abt this

 **♥Lisa♥:** shes gonna love it


	14. you came to me shining down (SayoTsugu)

The telescope was already set up on the balcony, aimed up and to the side and ready for any passing astrologer to take a peek at the heavens. As Sayo led her by the hand towards it, Tsugumi tilted her head quizzically.

  
"Oh, is this the question you wanted to ask me? Something about the stars?"

  
"Yes." Sayo looked a bit nervous for some reason, and Tsugumi gave her hand a bit of a squeeze to bolster her, even as she wondered what the reason could be. "I was looking at a particular constellation the other day, but I admit I couldn't put a name to it. I was curious if you could help."

  
Tsugumi squeezed her hand tight again. "Of course, sweetie!"

  
She moved past Sayo and delicately took hold of the telescope, closing her left eye to peer through the lens. Greeted by endless twinkling pinpricks of light, Tsugumi began to get her bearings. _Is that Hercules? Ah, it is... and if it's so close, then what Sayo was looking at must be-_

  
"Corona Borealis!" Tsugumi said as the stars seemed to dutifully arrange themselves into a clear pattern for her.

  
"Ahh, is that what it's called? I thought it looked somewhat like a crown."

  
"Yeah, that's what it is!" She kept her eye glued to the scope as she continued, entranced by the view. "Do you wanna hear the story behind it?"

  
Sayo replied in a warm voice, "I would like nothing more, my dear."

  
Ok, that got a blush out of her but Tsugumi continued. "The story is about the princess of Crete, Ariadne. I'll skip through the beginning, but essentially, she aided Theseus in solving her father's labyrinth and slaying the Minotaur. After she did so, he took her with him on his ship, but then he abandoned her on the island of Naxos because... he was a jerk, I guess."

  
A light chuckle came from Sayo, and Tsugumi smiled.

  
"As she lamented her troubles and cursed Theseus alone on the island, she was seen by a passing god. Dionysus, the God of Wine and uh, other stuff. When he saw her, he was struck by her beauty and fell in love, as did she after he revealed himself.

  
"There are a few different stories about how the crown comes in, but the first one I ever read went like this. As congratulations to the two of them, they recieved a gift from the goddess of love, Aphrodite: a beautiful, sparkling crown, and Ariadne wore it on their wedding day. In his joy after the ceremony, Dionysus hurled it into the heavens, where its jewels became stars shining down on the two for as long as they would live."

  
There was a comfortable silence after she finished, eventually broken by Sayo, speaking in a quiet voice. "That's quite a beautiful story."

  
"It really is," Tsugumi said as she took her gaze away from the stars, and turned to see...

  
To see...

  
_Oh..._

  
Sayo was kneeling down on one knee before her, having moved while Tsugumi was telling her story. She was looking up at her with an expression she hadn't seen since the day Tsugumi had first confessed to her, a memory that now hit her full force. "Tsugumi, I-" She stopped with a small intake of breath. "Tsugu... are you crying?"

  
"H-how could I not be!" Tsugumi forced out, wiping the hot tears from her cheeks and feeling her heart beat fast in her chest.

  
"I..." Sayo regained her composure, but Tsugumi could see her hand shaking as it pulled a box from her coat pocket. "Ever since we first met, Tsugumi, you've given me the strength to become a better person. You've been there for me every time I needed you, and every time I simply wanted you by my side. You have been the best girlfriend I could ever ask for. So..."

  
Sayo opened the box, revealing the ring inside. "Will you allow me to spend the rest of my life loving you, and repaying that kindness in my own way?"

  
_Of course, of course,_ Tsugumi thought but her voice wouldn't listen to her as she let her tears flow freely. "Yes," she eventually managed to say, "yes, yes! Of course I'll marry you, Sayo!"

  
Sayo took her hand gently, pushing her fingers apart to slide the ring on, and as soon as she was done Tsugumi sent them both to the floor of the balcony with a hybrid collapse and tackle, holding her girlfriend- her _fiancée,_ that was gonna take a while to process- in a tight embrace. "Oof! T-Tsugumi!"

  
"Sayo, I love you so much..."

  
As Tsugumi gazed into Sayo's eyes, now gleaming as they brimmed with happy tears of their own, and saw the vast expanse of love behind them, she realized that she'd never truly taken her gaze away from the stars.

  
"Wait, you already knew what the constellation was, didn't you?"

  
Sayo laughed, still audibly choked up. "Yes, I, um... may have borrowed a few of Hina's books on the subject in order to find a suitable one."

  
"Hina..." Tsugumi realized something and sat up abruptly, earning her a small _oof_ from Sayo. "Oh my gosh, we've gotta tell Hina!"

 

* * *

 

Hina was practically bouncing in place in her seat, as if the two of them hadn't been walking around for hours before ending up at the restaurant for a quick lunch. "Tsugu, today's been so boppin'! I wish big sis could have come with us..." She shoved a fry in her mouth, and spoke through it as she thought about something. "You know, though, sometimes it's kinda easy to pretend like you're also my sister."

  
Tsugumi chuckled nervously. "Ahh, well, that's sorta what I was gonna tell you... you, er, won't have to pretend for very much longer."

  
"Eh?" Hina blinked. "EEEEEEEEEHH?!"


	15. you're on (PareChu)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ship requested by Chamois! more RAS content 2k19

**CHU2 (RAISE A SUILEN):** You are late  
**CHU2 (RAISE A SUILEN):** What's going on

  
Chiyu leaned back in her tall leather seat (yes it's tall, she's not just too small for it, fuck you) and scratched her head in a spot that tended to itch after she took her headphones off. Had that been a bit too much?

  
To be fair, Reona was 20 minutes late now, and it should have been a simple trip. She'd been making regular runs to the convenience store for jerky for a while now. Long enough that when they'd gone there together once she'd made conversation with the clerk, some gyaru chick with long hair and a pair of bunny earrings, as if they were old buddies.

  
Her eyes flicked back to the screen at the sound of a new message.

  
**Pare❤️:** ahhhh chu2-sama were you worried about me!!! :D!  
**CHU2 (RAISE A SUILEN):** No

  
Her fingers had typed it before she'd even thought about her response, and now Chiyu regretted it a bit. She hurried to add to the blunt response.

  
**CHU2 (RAISE A SUILEN):** Did you go somewhere else  
**Pare❤️:** you guessed it!!! i suppose i could never hope to pull the proverbial rug out from under our beloved chu2-sama :O  
**CHU2 (RAISE A SUILEN):** Where did you go  
**CHU2 (RAISE A SUILEN):** Did you get the jerky  
**Pare❤️:** i've done one better in fact!!!  
**CHU2 (RAISE A SUILEN):** What on earth does that mean  
**Pare❤️:** as a special treat for chu2-sama i went on an expedition to a newly opened specialty store! they carry a wide variety of high quality jerky, and i've selected one i believe you will approve of!!!  
**Pare❤️:** ~BUT~  
**CHU2 (RAISE A SUILEN):** No  
**Pare❤️:** before i can give you this jerky, we w  
**Pare❤️:** saying no before i even suggest my idea!!!! chu2-sama must have guessed my exact thoughts before i could put them into text! ahhhh, her mind is truly one of the greatest wonders of the world!!! my precious chu2-sama is amazing!!

  
_Her... Chu2?_ Why had that caused her fingers to pause over the keyboard?

  
**CHU2 (RAISE A SUILEN):** What were you going to say  
**Pare❤️:** well!! i would tell you,  
**Pare❤️:** but as it turns out,  
**Pare❤️:** as a matter of fact,  
**CHU2 (RAISE A SUILEN):** Oh my fucking god Pareo just say it  
**Pare❤️:** considering all aspects of the situation we are currently in,  
**Pare❤️:** i believe,  
**Pare❤️:** i'll just say it like,

  
"This!" Reona cried out as she cheerfully knocked the door open, twirling her way inside with a bag held carefully in the crook of her arm, contents unknown but probably jerky. She closed the distance between them with two long strides.

  
"Chu2-sama, I've had a wonderful idea!"

  
Chiyu crossed her arms. "I'm not doing it."

  
"Chu2-sama is aware of the Pocky Game? Well!" Entirely ignoring Chiyu's negative response, she reached into the mystery bag and pulled out a stick of jerky, holding it aloft like a legendary weapon. "What if we played the Jerky Game!"

  
"That's- that's not even a pun! You didn't change the way you said 'jerky' at all."

  
Reona stuck one end of the snack in her mouth. "Mmon, Huhoo-ama, ifll be fun!"

  
There was absolutely, genuinely, no way in hell Chiyu was ever, ever, ever participating in this. Not ever. Her pride wouldn't allow it. And beyond that, it'd feel... weird, doing something like that with Reona. _Doing something like that with anybody!_ she quickly corrected herself. But the longer she looked at that piece of jerky, the longer its scent had a chance to make its winding way through the air over to her nose... Reona was serious, this was the really good stuff. Chiyu's mouth watered just looking at it.

  
_Maybe..._

  
_Maybe one bite will be fine,_ Chiyu thought as she stood up from her chair and bit down on the end of the stick like a rabid squirrel.

  
She felt Reona freeze in place, even her long twintails ceasing all movement. "Huhoo... ama?"

  
But Chiyu couldn't hear her. Reona had made a fatal mistake: she'd chosen the spicy jalapeño beef flavor, her absolute favorite, and now that she'd had a taste she couldn't stop herself from devouring more and more of the stick. Before she knew it, she'd reached the end, and then- something beyond the end, something soft.

  
Chiyu's eyes flew open and she stared at Reona's ghost-white face for a moment before recoiling. "Ah! That was, er, I... You. You chose well, Pareo!" She stretched up and made a show of patting the other girl on the head. "The jerky wasn't bad."

  
"Chiyu..." she could have sworn she heard Reona whisper under her breath, but she didn't draw attention to it.

  
"...Chu2-samaaaaaa!" Now Reona was jumping around like normal again, spinning in a circle and using the bag as a sort of counterweight. "I got praised by Chu2-sama!! Ahh, what a beautiful world, that would allow me to meet someone such as me to meet a girl so kind and smart-"

  
Chiyu groaned, and put her headphones back on.


	16. withstand (ChisaTae)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ship requested by merrill!

"I'm... here."

 

Close enough to "I'm home," Chisato thought as she quietly closed the door behind her, kicking her shoes off. Saying something like that felt like a bit too much, especially since she wasn't technically living with Tae quite yet. No, she was just keeping some of her things here, and sleeping over every night she could manage it.

 

Chisato supposed that was probably a normal thing to do with a girl that you were dating. It wasn't as if she had put a lot of thought into it until Tae had burst into her life, casually smashing through all her fortified defenses like a rabbit from a storybook breaking into the farmer's cabbage patch.

 

Arms snaked around her torso, and Chisato barely stopped her first reaction to jump up in surprise. A good thing, too, because only a moment later there was a chin resting on top of her head.

 

"Heyyyyyy."

 

Chisato smiled and reached up, gently putting her hands on Tae's arms. "Hi."

 

"How was your day, little birdy?"

 

"Uneventful." Not entirely true. She'd had a meeting with the director for her latest project, and he'd been a walking, talking ball of concentrated stress, leaving a bit of an empty feeling in her chest at the end of the day. But that was something that came with being an actress. She could deal with it. "How about you?"

 

No response came from Tae, unless you counted her loosening her grip so she could take hold of Chisato's hands. "Your hands are so small and soft, you know. They're cute."

 

A light laugh escaped Chisato. "You know, Maya told me something similar once, when we were discussing makeup and I touched her face."

 

"You're going around touching people's faces?"

 

"Do you mind that?"

 

Again, no response, but Tae pulled her hand up and practically slapped it on her cheek. She then followed suit with Chisato's other hand, creating a Tae sandwich. "This is nice," she said, and Chisato found herself smiling once more.

 

"I'm glad you're having a good time."

 

"I am." Tae pulled her hands down, rubbing Chisato's palms with her thumbs. "Are you really sure you're doing all right? Your hands feel kinda tense."

 

"I..." Chisato trailed off into nothing, her warring instincts of "it doesn't matter, keep the mood up" and "let her in, she wants to help" at a stalemate, blocking the castle gates as they pushed each other back and forth.

 

"Hmm." Tae's arms went back to their position locked around Chisato's waist, and she bent her knees before lifting Chisato right up off the ground with a small grunt.

 

"T-Tae?!"

 

The two of them moved one shaky step at a time through the doorway to Tae's bedroom. As they approached the bed, Tae turned around, and let herself fall back and take Chisato down with her into the heap of blankets and stuffed animals. "Whoof."

 

In a position like this, Chisato could feel even more clearly the difference in height between the two of them. Lying on top of Tae as she held her tight, slowly sinking into her warmth... It was fine to let herself enjoy it. That was her right as Tae's girlfriend.

 

Tae whistled, the shrill sound breaking through the comfortable silence they'd settled into. Chisato remembered how startled she had been the first time she'd heard that. But by now she knew exactly what its purpose was- and here they came now, pitter-pattering and hopping their way along into the room. How Tae had trained the rabbits to come when she called was beyond her, perhaps as some sort of contingency plan after the time they'd had to deal with some escaped rabbits at school, but Chisato certainly didn't mind their presence as they settled down around the two.

 

She looked around at each of them, doing her best to name them in her mind, but couldn't quite do it. Something to work on, she supposed. Tae reached around her and picked up Oddie- she could at least pick out which one Oddie was- and held him up to Chisato. "I think Oddie wants to ask you something."

 

"Oh?" Chisato reached out and gave the rabbit a few pets. "Whatever could he need?"

 

"He wants to ask you out."

 

"Well, he certainly is a handsome gentleman, but unfortunately for Oddie I'm only interested in women. And, er, humans."

 

"Aww." Tae tilted Oddie a bit, so it looked like he was sad. "Oddie understands, though. He says gay rights."

 

"Indeed," Chisato said, no longer able to hold in a giggle.

 

Tae put Oddie, champion of the gays, back down and wrapped her arms tightly around Chisato. She nuzzled the top of Chisato's head gently, and a few strands of her long hair fell around the smaller girl's face.

 

Chisato really loved this girl, didn't she.

 

What had she been so worked up about about, anyway? She thought about it as Tae's affection and warmth slowly filled up the emptiness in her chest, and decided it didn't matter. Not for tonight, at least.


	17. she's got it bad for me (TomoSaaya)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ship requested by tinygaymanny!

The bell over the door rang out to signal the entrance of a new customer. At this time of day, Saaya could be nearly certain who it was, and she smiled as she looked over the counter to have her assumption proved correct. "Hey, Moca!"

  
Moca gave her a lazy wave. "Hmmm... It's actually not just Moca-chan today."

  
Saaya tilted her head, and then caught a glimpse of the girl in the doorway behind Moca. Her breath caught in her throat at the sight of Tomoe in a sleeveless denim jacket, leaning against the door and framed by the light of the late-afternoon sun. "Yo!" she called out.

  
"Hey!" Saaya said back, willing her heart to slip back into its usual rhythm. "It's nice to see you, Tomoe. You here for anything specific?"

  
"You could say that," Moca cut in before Tomoe could reply, giving her a distinctive eyebrow waggle. _What was that?_

  
Saaya chose to ignore it, whatever it was, and continued on. "What can I get you both today? Just a couple of the usual buns?"

  
"Yeah, that sounds-" Tomoe started, but again Moca interrupted.

  
"Mmhmm, I'm sure Tomoe here would just love some Yamabuki buns." Saaya choked, and saw Tomoe stiffen up. Now Moca was both eyebrow-waggling AND winking. What the hell? What sort of skill was that, and more importantly, where was this coming from?

  
Saaya walked around the counter and grabbed hold of Moca, who yelped. She looked at Tomoe. "You mind if I talk to her in private real quick?"

  
"Y-yeah, go for it," Tomoe responded, rubbing her nose and avoiding Saaya's gaze with clearly evident embarrassment. Saaya's eyes widened at the sight, and she quickly tugged Moca back through the door behind the front counter.

  
"What. Are you. _Doing._ " Saaya hissed as she held Moca by her shoulders and shoved her up against the wall of the bakery's backroom, causing a small poof of leftover flour.

  
"Eheheh, Saaya, you know I'm taken, right?" Moca's grin only grew as she went on. "And I bet you'd rather do this with Tomoe anyway. Except like, the opposite, where Tomoe pushes you against the wall, not you pushing Tomoe. Unless you wanted to switch it up, I guess." She paused. "That sounded better in Moca-chan's head."

  
"Why are you trying to set me up with Tomoe!?"

  
"She's cute when you tease her, isn't she?"

  
"Beside the point!" Saaya yelled back, unable to disagree. "It's not like that with us. Tomoe doesn't like me in that way, and that's fine, so will you please stop trying to push our buttons?"

  
"Giiiiiirrrrrrllllllllllll." She drew it out like a dog on a leash testing to see how far it would stretch. "Tomoe doesn't like you like that? Take it on my Mocauthority, that girl has it bad. You should hear how much she talks about you with us."

  
That gave Saaya pause. But this was Moca we were talking about, she couldn't just take the girl's word for it. She decided to let it go for the moment. "If this has been an ongoing thing, why choose today to get weird about it?"

  
Moca took a long moment to think about it. "Well, Afterglow's like a family, you know? It's like that."

  
Saaya's brow furrowed. "...You're doing it because you care about Tomoe?"

  
"No. Well, yeah, that too, but more importantly... Yamabuki Bakery has a discount for family members, yeah?"

  
She could see the conclusion coming as clearly as if she were standing on the tracks watching the 11-o'-clock train to Aobatown headed at her, but Saaya chose to give in and let her reach the conclusion. "I guess you could say that."

  
"Moca-chan is Tomoe's family. So if Tomoe and Saaya became family, Moca-chan would become a Yamabuki-in-law." Moca's expression clouded, she looked as if she were drifting away to heaven. "And then she would get the legendary Yamabuki discount!"

  
Saaya sighed deeply, rubbing her head with one hand. "That's really why you were teasing her? You want us to get together so you get free bread?"

  
Moca came back to Earth, her gaze clearing to a disturbing degree as she held eye contact. "You two are gonna end up together anyway, yknow. It's just taking you soooooo loooooong. Moca-chan is getting tired."

  
"Moca-chan is always tired," Saaya shot back and got an acquiescing shrug in return.

  
"You know all I want is for the both of you to be happy." Moca gave her a surprisingly soft smile. Then she ruined it all immediately before it could come across as heartfelt. "That's why Moca-chan will take on this responsibility... she will transform, and become your-"

  
"Don't you dare say it-"

  
"Matchmoca!"

  
Saaya grabbed a bun and shoved it into the other girl's mouth. "Get out of my store!"

  
The two of them stumbled back out through the door, and Saaya gave Moca a push towards Tomoe. She fell dramatically into the taller girl's arms, slowly chewing on the bun contentedly. Saaya gave Tomoe a faux-stern look. "Can you get her out of here? She's banned now."

  
Tomoe gave her a thumbs up and a wide grin, immediately understanding the situation. "Gotcha!"

  
As she stumbled towards the front door, dragging a limp Moca behind her, Moca's words drifted through Saaya's head. She leaned against the front counter and felt an urge grow in her chest. _She's cute when you tease her, isn't she?_

  
"Hey, Tomoe?"

  
She looked back quickly. "Yeah?"

  
"Come back soon. We can always use a couple of strong arms like yours around here." And despite herself, Saaya winked at her, a smile creeping over her face.

  
It was like watching one of the sunsets Tomoe loved so much: first she turned pink, then a deep scarlet. She stuttered back to Saaya in a voice that was too high and far too loud, "Er, yeah, haha! I... love, I would love to come back soon. I, um. See ya!" Then she grabbed Moca and all but hoisted her over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes before rushing headlong out the door, the bell announcing the end of their visit.

  
Saaya would have to thank Moca for that later.


	18. beat your heart (Hagumi)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> chara requested by magoberry! love u babe

It would start with an explosion, Hagumi decided.

  
Probably at the bank- that was the best place to commit crimes, right? Any criminal in their right mind would head straight for the vault in the back after breaking in and exploding the door right off of it. Then, before the cops could arrive, they'd grab the big sack with the money sign on it and head for a speedy getaway. Scott free- or so they thought.

  
That was when Super Hagumi would arrive!

  
Flying, of course, no other way for a superhero to get around. Yes, she'd come in for an awesome landing right outside the bank, then stand up and give the thieves a smile, arms crossed. "Hey, haven't you guys heard?" she would say to them. "Crime doesn't pay!" Not the most original thing in the world but she'd work on it later.

  
They'd pull out their guns and try to shoot at her, but she would catch all of the bullets super quickly, and even if she didn't catch them they would just bounce off her anyway. She'd drop all the bullets on the ground. _Clink clink clink,_ the sound of metal hitting pavement.

  
Seeing that they could never ever beat her, the thieves would surrender right away, and Super Hagumi would tie them up and leave them there for the police to pick up later. Oh, she could put a sign on them! "Big Dummies," she would write on it. Yeah! Nice. That'd make them think about their life choices.

  
But before she could celebrate, ANOTHER explosion would happen! A bigger and louder one this time. And from the smoke, a dangerous figure would step forth.

  
Who would make a good supervillain? Hagumi thought about it for a really really long time, at least five minutes, and decided it would be Michelle's evil cousin, Bitchelle.

  
Hagumi knew Bitchelle was real because Mii-kun had muttered her name one time when she thought Hagumi wasn't listening. She looked mostly like Michelle, but where Michelle was full of love Bitchelle was full of wickedness and spite. Hagumi was glad she had never met her, but she knew that if she showed up Michelle would defeat her for them, because good always won against evil.

  
Bitchelle would step out of the smoke, a smirk on her beary face. "Bwuehehehaha! I've lured you into my trap, Super Hagumi!" she'd say deviously.

  
Super Hagumi would shot right back, "Bring it! I'm not afraid of you!"

  
Then they would fight! Hagumi didn't bother too much with the specifics, just thought about how cool and epic it would be. Punch! Slam! Eye beams! Thrown through a skyscraper! Fighting in space, and on the moon! Punch punch punch! Yeah!

  
Then Bitchelle would manage to get the upper paw. "Unhappy!" Punch. "Unfortunate!" Punch. "Frowning!" Punch. "Ugh!" One more punch.

  
After taking those hits, Super Hagumi would be lying on the ground, nearly defeated. Bichelle would stand above her, laughing. "You truly thought you could beat me? Foolish child, I have the power of a hundred bears. The entire world will be mine!"

  
"Not... if Super Hagumi... has anything to say about it." She'd slowly start to push herself up, and Bitchelle's eyes would widen.

  
"What? This power... where is it coming from?"

  
"From my friends!" Super Hagumi would say as energy crackled around her and her aura of power increased. "And the words they gave me, for times like these... Happiness... Happy Magical!"

  
Opening drop time! Hagumi pulled out her phone and started scrolling through her big playlist of anime openings. Naruto or My Hero would be too easy, she decided. Eventually, she decided on a bit of a deeper cut, Konomi Suzuki's _Beat your Heart._ Hagumi got herself ready to imagine the final battle, then hit play.

  
Super Hagumi would stand up, power flowing through her whole body. Bitchelle would make a desperate rush towards her, but she'd simply disappear and appear again right behind the bear- or so it seemed! She was just that fast. "She's fast!" Bitchelle would whisper in awe.

  
Super Hagumi would flex her big muscles. "Strong, too!"

  
Then they would do battle one last time. The fight would be so awesome, Hagumi had to close her eyes to envision it as the music kept going. A clash of gods, two titans fighting for the fate of the Earth! Hagumi hummed and tapped her feet as she thought about how it would go.

  
Eventually, after one final blow, Super Hagumi would emerge victorious. And all her friends would be there to congratulate her!

  
"Fleeting," Kaoru would say, and "Fuee," Kano-chan-senpai would say, and "That was the best," Kokoro would say, and "Whoa, damn," Mii-kun would say, and then Michelle would put her big fluffy bear hand on Hagumi's shoulder and say "We're all really proud of you, Super Hagumi."

  
And then her brother would be there, and he'd say he was proud of her too, and her mom would be there and she would say that Hagumi was a good daughter no matter what she wanted to look or act like, and her dad would be there and he'd say-

  
"Yo, Hagumi. You good?"

  
Misaki, who wasn't her dad, reached out and ruffled her hair. Hagumi nodded in response, taking her earbuds out and pulling herself out of her daydream. "Ah, yeah, Hagumi's good! Is it time for practice to start?"

  
"Nah, we've still got time. I just saw you spacing out a little."

  
"Hagumi was thinking about super cool stuff! Superheroes and villains! And she was fighting on the moon!" Hagumi waved her hands to display the proper amount of coolness that applied.

  
Misaki wasn't really smiling, but Hagumi could see a little spark of amusement in her eyes, and that made her happy. "Really? You can tell me all about it later if you want."

  
"Yeah! If that's okay!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 18 chapters in and this is the first one that's not about a ship wow
> 
> also a quick request update! right now i've got three running: rokkako, taerimi, and misakanon. i won't be doing them in any specific order, just whenever i feel like i have a good concept, to make sure i don't end up just phoning it in for any of em


	19. sisters in arms (Tomoe & Sayo)

It wasn't hard to tell something was wrong. The steady tap of her foot under the table, the way she twisted a stray bit of teal hair around her fingers. Even the glare Tomoe had caught her sending towards Tomoe's order. What was up with that, anyway? It was a perfectly normal slice of carrot cake.

  
Something was up with Sayo, and while Tomoe could have handled it more carefully, it just wasn't like her to be indirect at a time like this. She tilted her head and tossed out the question.

  
"You good?"

  
Sayo moved her arm stiffly along a predetermined path, stabbing a fork into her slice of chocolate cake with a little too much force. "I appreciate the concern, Tomoe, but I'm doing fine."

  
Tomoe closed her eyes and leaned her head back as if she were deep in thought. "Hmmm... but that can't be right. My radar is going wild right now. I'm absolutely sure there's a fellow big sister in need around here."

  
"Perhaps it's Toyama or Yamabuki. Okusawa, even."

  
"I'm absolutely sure there's one in need _in front of me right now_ ," Tomoe said back, leaning forward again and leaving Sayo no more wiggle room. "You really sure that you're all right?"

  
The other girl looked away before slowly beginning to deflate. "I... no. I'm sorry. There is something on my mind." Sayo's gaze flicked back up to Tomoe, and she spent a minute letting the words collect in her throat.

  
"You are aware of my relationship with Tsugumi?"

  
Tomoe crossed her arms. "Y'all ain't subtle."

  
"Point taken." Sayo allowed a smile to creep onto her features, and Tomoe couldn't help but respond in kind.

  
"She recently came to me asking if I would like to visit the aquarium with her, and we scheduled a day together next week. But in my... Tsugumi-induced absentmindedness, we will say, it slipped my mind that I already had plans to spend time with Hina that day." Guilt was all over her face.

  
"So now I'm... at a loss. It's entirely my mistake, but I don't want to let either of them down..." Sayo sat herself up straight, and took a bite of her cake before continuing. "I was going to mention the situation later and ask your advice on it, but I suppose you beat me to it."

  
"Sayo."

  
"Hmm?"

  
"You're a huge dumbass."

  
Sayo shrugged. "Fair."

  
"No, don't agree with me!" Tomoe growled and stood up, pointing at Sayo forcefully. "Have more confidence in yourself, bitch!"

  
The other girl stared back at her and replied dryly, "Tomoe, I'm afraid I don't follow your train of thought here. Am I a dumbass or not?"

  
"You are! But you should still... Ugh, forget it." She sat back down heavily with a loud sigh. "Anyway, advice, huh? For the big sister part of it, or for the Tsugumi part?"

  
"I was thinking both."

  
"All right. Here's what you're gonna do." Tomoe tapped the surface of the table hard to punctuate each part of her plan.

  
"You're gonna tell Tsugumi what happened, you're gonna apologize, and then you're gonna ask her if it's okay for Hina to tag along to the aquarium. She's gonna say yes because she's Tsugumi and because she likes seeing the two of you getting along. Then you're gonna repeat the same thing with Hina, and she's gonna say yes when you ask if she wants to go with you because of _fucking course_ she is. And then y'all are gonna have a damn good time with all the fish. Got all that?"

  
Sayo blinked. "It sounds... so very simple when you put it that way."

  
"It is simple, you're just a dumbass." Tomoe grinned. "But you're our dumbass, and Tsugu loves you, and I like you too."

  
Flushing at the unexpected words, Sayo looked away, taking a few more surreptitious bites of her cake. Tomoe took a minute to admire her work. Her time with Kaoru was really starting to pay off, she thought.

  
Sayo muttered to her in an embarrassed voice, "If we're being honest, I feel... quite foolish for being so worked up about it all."

  
"Aww, you were really anxious about Tsugu and Hina's feelings weren't you?" Tomoe pushed her chair back and spread her arms wide. "Come over here and let your sister in arms give you a hug."

  
"Absolutely not."

  
"Ehh, my hugs aren't good enough anymore? I guess you're only satisfied by hugs with Tsugu now, huh? Understandable. Isn't it so cute when she does that thing where she reaches up and grabs onto your sleeves around the shoulders-"

  
"Udagawa, please stop talking."

  
"I'm just Udagawa now!?"


	20. comfort zone (TaeRimi)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ship requested by hanazono_rimi!

_I can do this, I can do this, I can do this!_ Maybe if Rimi repeated it enough times it'd be true. Her grip on the letter was tight and she could tell her palms were getting sweaty. It was only a simple motion, she reasoned to herself. Move her hand up, slide the letter right on through the slot on the front of Tae's locker, and then scurry away. _I can do this._

  
But despite the mantra, her stubborn arm wouldn't move at all. She cursed it in her mind, consigning it to the various grisly fates of all her favorite horror characters.

  
Rimi checked the time on her phone. Only about 10 minutes until Tae would be here to pick up her things. She needed to move fast, but she still couldn't make herself move...

  
Deep breaths. Rimi closed her eyes tight and tried to focus on the one thing that always calmed her down, which was ironically, in a way, Tae. Specifically, a moment she'd shared with the girl during the last fireworks display. She'd been excited, but so frightened of the noise, and when Tae had noticed she'd reached out and offered her hand as a way for Rimi to ground herself.

  
It was embarrassing to think about, but ever since that day, the memory of Tae's hand in hers never failed to calm her restless mind. The feeling of long, cool fingers interlocking with her own shaky ones and holding on tight. The way she had squeezed after Rimi jumped at an especially loud burst.

  
It had felt so comfortable, so right. That was when she had first realized...

  
Rimi opened her eyes and realized that she'd slipped the letter through the slot. She did a silent fist-pump, a shaky grin spreading across her face. _I did it! I did it and now she's gonna read it._

  
Rimi went pale.

  
_Now she's gonna read everything I wrote in there... about how she makes me all flustered when she looks at me, and how my heart starts fluttering when we're alone, and about how... oh..._

  
Feeling the anxiety starting to surge up, Rimi slapped her hands on her cheeks. It was gonna be fine, this was Tae we were talking about. Even if she didn't feel the same, it would be fine. Really.

  
She hurried out the door and ran to hide herself around a corner. After a minute, she could hear familiar footsteps passing by. She could pick out Tae's long, lazy strides anywhere. Rimi sank against the wall and hugged herself tight.

  
The metallic creak of a locker opening. And then again, closing.

  
Then there was silence for a while. She was surely reading the letter now. Rimi steeled herself, thinking of Tae's hand, and walked out from her hiding place so Tae would see her when she left. This would be the moment of truth. She was fully prepared now.

  
Rimi made eye contact with Tae, and realized she wasn't prepared in the slightest.

  
The other girl waved casually from the doorway. "Hey, Rimi. What's up?"

  
Rimi waved back before she realized what she was doing. "Hi... O-Tae..."

  
"I saw that letter you left in my locker."

  
"Ahh... Did you?" Rimi held her own hand to stop the shaking. "Did you read it?"

  
"Nah. I would never."

  
_What? Is she so uninterested in me that she wouldn't even bother reading it at all..._ Rimi felt a prickling at the edges of her eyes, and willed them to stop. She looked back up to Tae. "Then... um, what did you do with it?"

  
"I took care of it." Tae gave her a big thumbs up.

  
"You..." Rimi tilted her head, utterly confused. "What?"

  
"You put it in my locker by mistake, huh? Don't worry, I slipped it into Kaoru's for you." Tae walked closer and put her hand on Rimi's shoulder. "Good luck! You've got a lot of competition, but our Rimi is the cutest. I think anybody with any brains at all would wanna go out with you."

  
"Does that include you?" Rimi said as her mind tried to catch up. _Oh my god, what did I just say!?_

  
Tae looked at her funny, as if she were sizing up the smaller girl. "Hmm. Yeah."

  
"...Yeah?"

  
"Yeah. I think it'd be fun to date you. You're cute and nice and soft to hold." Tae smiled, and Rimi felt her cheeks explode into flame.

  
"O-Tae..."

  
"Mmhmm?"

  
She whispered the next few words, looking down, anywhere besides the other girl's face. "That letter... was for you..."

  
Silence fell over the room. Rimi stood in place, no longer shaking, no longer blushing. She squeezed her eyes shut tight, then opened them and made eye contact with Tae once more. "It wasn't for Kaoru or anybody else. It was for you. I like you a lot, O-Tae. I have for a long time now."

  
Tae's expression was unreadable. She stared at Rimi with her big green eyes, not moving a muscle.

  
Rimi's mind was running too fast to even pick out individual thoughts, a typhoon in her mind chopping up the waves until she was lost at sea. A voice eventually cut through the storm, and she grabbed onto it desperately. "Rimi."

  
"Yes!?"

  
Tae put a hand on each of her shoulders now, making her jump. She glared at nothing as if she were deep in serious thought. "Do you have any lockpicks?"

  
"I... What?" Rimi shook her head.

  
"I guess not, huh. All right." Rimi felt Tae grab her hand and start walking, pulling her along. "We've gotta go find Kaoru, then." The two of them barrelled through the hallways of the school, Rimi barely keeping up with Tae's pace.

  
Rimi stammered as they ran on. "K-Kaoru? Why do we need her..."

  
"To open her locker. There's a love letter from my girlfriend in there. I need it."

  
_Girlfriend._

  
_Girlfriend, girlfriend, girlfriend!_ Rimi repeated it with each bounding step. She was Tae's girlfriend now! Rimi smiled wider than she thought she could and squeezed Tae's hand tight, feeling as if she were running on air. Tae squeezed back.


	21. oh wolf (SayoTsugu)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> felt like writing something a little different since the last batch of chapters have had a pretty similar style!

Once, a long, long time ago, there was a young girl. This girl had taken it upon herself to bake a batch of delicious cookies at her family's inn, but seeing as how she had no-one to share them with there, she decided to pack them all into a basket and take them through the woods to the next town over, where her friends lived.

  
_(Four packs of treats tied with a bow, a smile on her face as she imagined their reactions.)_

  
She set out on the main road, knowing that before long she would enter the dark forest. The girl wasn't afraid, though. She had taken this route many times in the past, and even if she encountered any sort of dangerous creature she knew she could take care of herself.

  
_(A chill of fear as she passed the dark alleyway, forgotten as she caught sight of familiar green eyes.)_

  
The girl walked and walked and walked, and as she reached the coldest, gloomiest, darkest part of the dark forest, she was met by a Wolf that stood on two legs. This strange beast stepped forth from the deep shadows that swallowed up the forest on either side of the path, beckoning for her to come closer.

  
_(A gentle grip on her arm, pulling her off the main road and into the shadows.)_

  
The Wolf spoke to her in the human tongue, weaving with sticky-sweet words as it tried to convince her to abandon her journey and stay here, just for a while, just for a moment. The girl listened to all the Wolf had to say, but never did her grip on the basket weaken, and never did she say a word in response.

  
_("They can wait a few minutes longer, can't they?")_

  
Her resolve was strong, but as the Wolf continued to speak, the girl found herself faltering. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad to stay here with the Wolf- perhaps they could even share the cookies together. And the closer she looked at it, the less afraid she was. A moment longer wouldn't hurt anything, would it?

  
_(Arms wrapping around her so delicately, pulling her in to melt against the other girl.)_

  
The Wolf took one last step forward. A ray of light cut through the treetops, and it glinted off a long, pearly fang. The girl knew this would be her chance to take her exit. To make a mad dash through the dark forest and to her waiting friends. But she didn't move, not one inch, and instead, she asked a simple question of the beast: "Tell me, oh Wolf, why do you have such big teeth?"

  
_(The feeling of hot breaths hitting her lips, and then-)_

  
"The better to eat you with, my dear."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “Where the hell is Tsugumi? She’s like 20 minutes late. Ugh, I bet she’s off somewhere with Sayo again.”
> 
> “Aww Ran, if you’re jealous you just gotta say so~ We can be lovey dovey too!”
> 
> “SHUT UP”


	22. overflowing feelings (KasuAri)

It wasn't all that late in the day yet. The sun had set less than an hour ago, and normally around this time there would be plenty of noise coming from the basement. Either the sound of instruments, or if it wasn't a practice day, the sound of Kasumi's bright voice and Arisa's howled responses to whatever she was saying this time.

  
But today it was near silent except for two consistent sounds. The ticking of a clock on the wall, and Arisa's steady breaths as she slept in Kasumi's lap.

  
Kasumi hummed happily. The other girl would have never, not in a thousand years, agreed to this normally, but she'd noticed how fatigued Arisa looked after putting in overtime with the student council earlier. She'd nagged and prodded until Arisa agreed to rest on her lap ("Only for a nanosecond!").

  
She petted Arisa's hair as gently as she could, looking down at her sleeping face with a soft smile. "Heheh, this is a lot longer than a nanosecond..." She moved a pigtail that was threatening to fall too close to Arisa's half-open mouth. "Get all the rest you need, okay?"

  
Tearing her gaze away from the girl, Kasumi looked around at the basement. She continued talking to Arisa, hoping it'd make it easier for her to sleep peacefully.

  
"You know, as much as I love my house- it's where Asuka and everybody live, after all- this place really feels like home... The posters we all argued over. The stained bit on the floor where Rimirin spilled grape juice that one time. The painting that always ends up crooked, even though Saaya fixes it every time she sees it. I love it all."

  
Just as she loved the girl who had brought them here. Who had let Kasumi in, both literally and emotionally, as much as she'd try to deny that fact. "Hmm... I wonder how you really think of me in there, Arisa." Kasumi looked down to give the sleeping girl another smile.

  
She was met by big, confused, clouded eyes staring up at her. Kasumi froze, and then realized Arisa wasn't actually awake. At least, not fully. Had she been awake enough to hear Kasumi's stream-of-consciousness rambling? What if she-

  
"Pretty girl," Arisa mumbled, and Kasumi felt herself short-circuit.

  
"W-W-What? Arisa?"

  
"Kasu... mi..." the girl in her lap breathed, her eyelids fluttering. She reached up and grabbed Kasumi's leg in a weak grip. "So nice..."

  
Kasumi closed her eyes tight and took a minute to take full stock of her situation. These were the things she currently had: a hopelessly drowsy girl in her lap who seemed intent on singing her praises. A heart beating louder and faster than a freight train. And... her phone in her pocket.

  
She opened her eyes, and had an idea.

 

* * *

 

"That's not me."

  
The phone in Kasumi's hand continued to play its video as they walked, and she held it as if it were a precious artifact. Two voices could be heard clearly through it. She raised it up higher with a huge grin spreading further by the moment.

  
_"Hey, hey, Arisa! What do you really think of me? Kasumi?"_

  
_"Kasumi... pretty girl... so pretty..."_

  
"I said that's not fucking me! You edited it or something!" Arisa reached up and tugged on her own pigtails, gritting her teeth and sending a searing glare her way. "I would never say any of that stuff!"

  
Kasumi fake-pouted. "Aww... Arisa doesn't think I'm pretty..."

  
"I!" Arisa started, and the glare cleared momentarily. She shoved her hands in her pockets and walked ahead of Kasumi so she couldn't see her expression. "I didn't... say that. Don't put words in my mouth, dummy."

  
_"Pretty pretty girl..."_

  
"Turn that fucking video off!"


	23. for reasons unknown (YukiRan)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ft. trans ran

Over time, Ran had found herself becoming something of a believer in the concept of fate. It had brought her, time and time again, exactly where she needed to be. The class where she'd met her dearest friends. A rooftop at sunset. And the stage, where she'd found her voice. Now after all it had given, fate had decided to even things out a little and fuck with her by sending her straight into the path of Yukina Minato.

 

Ran reached out to a nearby pole so she could lean on it cooly, stumbling under Yukina's gaze as she missed it by a hair and had to subtly take a quick step over, leaning her forearm on the wall beyond the pole. She straightened up and nodded to the other girl, bending one leg back to look casual. "Hey, Minato." Absolutely calculated, she thought.

 

"Mitake." Yukina nodded sharply, and said nothing more. She stood immobile a few feet away from Ran, hands in her pockets.

 

The silence was going to become unbearable if they let it sit, and neither one of them seemed to have any plans to walk away, so Ran grudgingly continued. "What brings you here?"

 

Yukina took one annoyingly pretty and delicate-looking hand from her pocket and gestured towards an accessory shop nearby. "I was out with Lisa, but she wanted to check out something in there. She said she'd be quick, so I could just wait for her out here, but she's taking quite a while."

 

"I see." Ran pointed towards a makeup shop a few doors down. "I was with Himari, actually, and pretty much the same thing happened. It feels... kind of weird in places like that. It's alien. That's why I'm, uh, here."

 

Yukina nodded. After a moment she looked back quizzically, seemingly taken aback by Ran's words. "Why would it feel alien?" she asked. "I don't have much interest in those things myself, but I'm surprised Uehara hasn't made you a makeup and fashion expert yet if you've been friends for so long. She's always talking about things like that with Lisa."

 

Ran felt herself stiffen up. She knew exactly why it felt the way it did, but it wasn't something she wanted to talk about, and especially not with her rival. She reached up to fiddle with the white, pink, and blue button she'd attached to her backpack strap in a moment of defiance and felt her mental hackles rise. Before she could think about it, she shot back, "Himari's tried. Maybe don't talk shit about other people's friendships."

 

Yukina raised an eyebrow and sighed. "That wasn't my- you know what, sure."

 

Ran bit her lip as the atmosphere around the two of them became heavier, and immediately regretted the way she'd responded. She glared down at the concrete. God, why couldn't she just be nice for once? She knew Yukina didn't mean anything by it, and yet...

 

For some reason she always felt so tense around her. Unwilling to let any sign of weakness slip past.

 

Ran pulled out her phone, intending to find some music to blast directly into her eardrums until Himari or Lisa came back and cleared the air, but she stopped as she realized she'd have to scroll through one of her playlists for that. Unfortunately nearly all of them contained at least one Roselia song, and if Yukina happened to see that, Ran would have to go live in the woods out of embarassment.

 

Putting her phone back, Ran watched the shop doors for Lisa or Himari in an effort to not look at the girl next to her. This didn't stop her from hearing as Yukina cautiously cleared her throat. It didn't prepare her for what she was about to say, either.

 

"To be clear, I don't think you should have to push yourself into things like that." A long pause. "And... I think you're quite beautiful exactly the way you are."

 

As Ran stared into the distance, her entire body growing warmer and her brain taking an abrupt leave of absence, she noted from the astral plane that Lisa had left the shop and was heading back across the street to pick up Yukina. Lisa caught her gaze and waved to her, grinning and speeding up her pace.

 

Realizing she'd need to respond right away, Ran peeked back at Yukina and managed to force out a hesitant "Thank y-"

 

"Don't take it the wrong way, Mitake," Yukina replied. She reached up to her silver hair, flicking it back behind her as she turned to leave with Lisa. "I simply support trans rights, is all."

 

Himari found Ran ten minutes later, curled into a ball on the sidewalk.


	24. the heat of the summer (SayoTsugu)

Tsugumi could feel the heat just about everywhere- in the sweat collecting on her brow, the itchiness on her arms, even the heat of the bench that she had slumped down onto. It was inescapable. Evil. She mentally shook a fist at the sun for causing it.

 

She turned her gaze to the girl on the other end of the bench. Sayo didn't seem at all bothered by the weather, and Tsugumi couldn't seen even a drop of sweat. "Sayo... How do you do it?"

 

"Hmm?" Sayo looked over at her. "Do what, Hazawa-san?"

 

"Survive in this heat..."

 

Sayo put a finger to her chin. "Well, my body temperature tends to stay quite cold compared to others. I suppose that's probably why I don't feel it as much."

 

"Ahh, I see." Tsugumi tilted her head. "Is that a Hikawa thing?"

 

Sayo snorted. "Oh, not at all. Hina's the opposite of me, that girl's been gorging herself on ice cream and popsicles for the last week." Despite her tone, Tsugumi could see the corners of her mouth twitch up.

 

"Still, I'm jealous... I've never been able to handle the heat at all." She winced as she wiped the sweat from her palms.

 

Sayo turned to look at her with a bit of alarm on her face. "Are you all right, Hazawa-san? I'm sorry, I should have noticed that you were uncomfortable..."

 

Tsugumi waved her hands dismissively. "Oh, no, it's okay!" She smiled in an effort to clear the concern from the other girl's expression. "I mean, it's not great but it's not that bad, and it's not your fault. I'm all right! Really."

 

Nodding in response, Sayo finally looked away, and Tsugumi settled back down. After a moment, though, she felt a new sensation: a cool hand slipping into hers, fingers entwining with hers and holding on tight.

 

Shocked, her wide-eyed gaze snapped back to Sayo. The taller girl sat up perfectly straight as she quickly stammered out, "Excessive heat can be quite dangerous, you know, it's important to properly regulate your temperature at all times." The statement was so robotic compared to her actions that Tsugumi had to stifle a giggle.

 

Tsugumi squeezed back, and gave Sayo a warm smile. "Thank you, Sayo." She was rewarded with a bright flush spreading quickly and cutely across the other girl's cheeks. So there was a way to get Sayo to feel some heat, after all.

 

"Let me know if there's anything else I can do to help, Hazawa-san."

 

Tsugumi thought about it for a moment, and decided to summon up a bit of courage herself. "Maybe we could go get ice cream together?"

 

Sayo smiled, and gently rubbed Tsugumi's hand with her thumb. "I would like that."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> inspired by this: https://twitter.com/tractioncities/status/1134531348062826497

**Author's Note:**

> current requests:  
> misaki/kanon  
> rokka/ako  
> rokka/masuki  
> kaoru/misaki  
> tomoe/saaya part two: the squeakquel


End file.
